Bell remains in the Etowah County Detention Center on the felony charge, on $10,000 surety bond.

A Gadsden man filed a police report Oct. 28 with Gadsden police saying he’d been harassed on Facebook messenger; that the man had threatened him because he is Jewish — saying he was going to kill him “and his f----t brother.”

The victim said the exchanges began with a Facebook thread that the suspect posted on and the victim commented on. The men had disagreed on Facebook before and the suspect had made disparaging comments about the Jewish community a while back that led to a verbal disagreement.

Freeman said the FBI contacted Southside police and asked them police to pursue the state charge. He said the FBI was involved because of the possibility of a hate crime.

The victim in the incident signed warrants for Bell’s arrest.

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